Reviewed by Liz Konkel for Readers' Favorite

The Flying Glass by E.M. Cooper is the first book of the Fanglewick School of Magic series. After Marnie Speck is left with her new foster family in Downfell, northern England, she immediately bonds with fellow orphan, Seb, who takes her under his wing. When the two hide out in the Arnolds' library, Marnie discovers that magic is real and another world exists. Seb takes her to a local mage who is helping him with a plan to escape to the Fanglewick School of Magic, if he can pass the exam. Marnie jumps at her chance for a new life and follows after him into a world beyond anything she could have imagined. When she fails the verbal part of the exam, Marnie sees her chances slipping away, so she makes a deal to stay and work in the kitchen until she can retake the exam. As the year passes by, Marnie and Seb witness another student summoning a demon, the head of the school is attacked, and a mysterious beast threatens to destroy everything Marnie has worked for.

Marnie has always been on her own and kept from a lot of experiences, so it's nice to see her bond with Seb, with whom she's able to have a real connection. Their sweet friendship is at the heart of the story as he's the first one to really encourage her and is also the catalyst for her discovery of magic. The school represents a form of escape for Seb and Marnie, because it gets them away from their foster family and gives them real opportunities for their futures. The school gives them their first chance to be free and to discover who they are. Marnie isn't immediately a student, but she's still able to make a real home for herself. The characters are layered and break the stereotypes that are put on them.

Marnie and Seb aren't full wizards so they experience some prejudices for this. No one really notices how brilliant Marnie is with numbers because she has trouble reading. Her new friend, Lissa, is an elf that, unlike the other elves who are tidy and all about order, is sloppy and doesn't like things to be precise. Marnie's friends come together through what makes them different, and through each other they embrace these differences. The Flying Glass is a brilliant start to a series as E.M. Cooper weaves into the series themes such as prejudice and foster care, with friendship, the search for identity, and a magical adventure. Fans of Harry Potter will fall in love with Marnie's story!